His Royal Highness Prince Andrew of the United Kingdom did not get a red carpet welcome at Simon Gratz High School yesterday -- but he did get a lot of red crepe paper.
Andrew, the Duke of York and Queen Elizabeth's second son, came to the North Philadelphia high school yesterday morning for the launch of the Jubilee International Education Fund, a charity that finances leadership programs in inner-city schools, and spent some time visiting with students taught by Penn Graduate School of Education student Holly Smiles.
The education fund was created in honor of the queen's Golden Jubilee, which marks 50 years since her coronation. Gratz is the charity's first beneficiary.
The prince spoke briefly about his educational philosophy to an audience of faculty, Gratz alumni dating back to the 1930s and a few hundred students involved in Gratz's Youth Service program.
"Education is not simply about knowledge and skill," he told the audience. "It's about an attitude and the ability to learn."
The prince arrived toward the end of a welcome program staged by Gratz's performing arts groups, including a choir, jazz band and hip-hop dance team.
The scene in Gratz's auditorium was one of palpable excitement as the welcome program was about to start. The kids made last-minute preparations -- red streamers were taped to the seats saved for the prince and his entourage, flowing choir robes were adjusted and the British flag was set on the stage.
And although Andrew only spoke for a few minutes, he made a big impression on some of the students.
"A lot of us settle for little because we are exposed to little," senior Brittani Christian said of her classmates at Gratz, the majority of whom live in poverty. "This made it known that we can achieve."
After the assembly, the prince met privately with Gratz's "Jubilee Home Team," composed of about 30 students selected to participate in community service projects and character education. The students, whom Smiles described as "top-level," also run the school's Youth-driven Service-learning Center.
At the end of the school year, six of the children, chosen by their fellow Home Team members, will get to study abroad in Great Britain.
According to the kids, the prince talked with them about the value of leadership and took questions about his family and life as a royal. They found him to be funny and unpretentious.
"When he first came in, we were standing up, and he was like, 'sit down, sit down,'" sophomore Brandon Woodson said. "So we sat down, and he walked around talking to everybody. He was communicating with everybody, looking at everybody... I want him to come again because he was real nice."
"He showed us that he was a real person," sophomore Corey Crippen said. "He didn't show us that he was higher than us."
Smiles, who taught the students British history in preparation for the prince's visit, said she thought the event went off without a hitch.
"He is the nicest man, and he was so relaxed and laid-back with the kids," she said. "He was funny, he was animated. There was a wonderful interaction between him and the students."
The prince spent the past two days in Philadelphia. Besides coming to Gratz, he attended several fundraising events for the Jubilee International Education Fund, including a cocktail party at the Philadelphia Art Museum and a dinner hosted by Leonore Annenberg, the wife of Penn alumnus and benefactor Walter Annenberg.
